


april fools' is made for me and you

by fallingforboys



Series: and the blood of the past turns the white roses red [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Brett Talbot & Lori Talbot Live, F/M, M/M, McCall Pack, Nightmares, Pack Bonding, Pack Dynamics, Post-Canon, Pranks and Practical Jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:15:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28615692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallingforboys/pseuds/fallingforboys
Summary: Theodore Raeken did not- in any way, shape, or form- have a normal childhood. If it could even be called that.However, Theodore Raeken was also not stupid. A fact that seemed to be overlooked by Liam Dunbar.
Relationships: Alec/Lori Talbot, Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, Nolan/Brett Talbot, Scott McCall/Malia Tate
Series: and the blood of the past turns the white roses red [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2097741
Comments: 22
Kudos: 105





	1. Chapter 1

Theodore Raeken did not- in any way, shape, or form- have a normal childhood. If it could even be called that.

However, Theodore Raeken was also not stupid. A fact that seemed to be overlooked by Liam Dunbar.

“Tomorrow’s April first,” Liam declared as he walked up to Theo who was waiting for the rest of the so-called Puppy Pack (Theo wasn’t sure when the rest of the pack decided he was part of the subpack containing the younger supernaturals, but hey, he’s not complaining) at his truck after school.

“Congratulations,” Theo said dryly, “that One Direction calendar your cousin sent you for your 18th birthday seems to be useful after all.” The chimera had spent weeks after Liam’s birthday playing the band’s songs while driving them to school- something that surprisingly wasn’t appreciated by the werewolf (Liam would never admit that he actually didn’t mind).

“So I had a One Direction phase in middle school, who didn’t?” Liam rolled his eyes. “They were probably my bisexual awakening.”

Before Theo could open his mouth and say that he didn’t, Liam cut him off.

“I meant everyone that had a _normal_ childhood, Theodore. Which you did _not_.”

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that,” Theo grumbled, exasperation dripping from his voice.

Liam ignored him.

“Anyway, tomorrow’s April first,” Liam paused and stared at Theo, as if he was waiting for the older boy to say something. When the chimera did nothing but stare back, Liam groaned. “It’s April Fools’.”

Now, as mentioned before, Theo was not stupid. He, however, would never turn down an opportunity as golden as this.

“What’s that?” the older boy asked, schooling his expression into a neutral one. Liam’s jaw dropped.

“You don’t know what April Fools’ is? You know, that day when you can do anything to anyone and call it a prank. How do you not know?”

“In case you forgot,” Theo retorted, “I was raised by the Dread Doctors, who, surprisingly, I mean, who would’ve guessed, didn’t celebrate _Christmas_ , let alone this April Fools’ shit.”

Liam took personal offense to Theo’s words. “But- I- I mean,” he stammered, “it’s _April Fools’_. Everyone knows what that is.”

“Like you pointed out, I didn’t exactly have a sane childhood experience. While everyone was out trick-or-treating, I was learning the places on the human body that would cause the most pain if stabbed.” Theo’s voice was bitter. Although he was in the pack now and they had all worked through the pain of the past, his previous actions wouldn’t- no, _couldn’t_ \- be excused by the pack, and he was okay with that. He couldn’t forgive _himself_ for the things that he did, how could they?

But at nine years old, all he knew was there were three scary looking people in weird masks telling him that he needed a new heart, and his sister was already dying, so she would want him to have hers anyway. Should Theo have believed them? Probably not, but he was _nine_ for fuck’s sake, and his parents didn’t care about him, and him and Tara were walking on that bridge, and it was the middle of winter and it was _freezing_ , and he remembered those weird masks and _Theo, your sister’s dying, she won’t mind_ , and the next thing he knew, he was walking away with the scary looking people with tears burning in his eyes.

Something flashed across Liam’s face. “Theo,” the werewolf murmured, “I didn’t mean t-”

“Liam,” Theo interjected. “It’s fine.”

But it really wasn’t. Liam had seen how Theo had changed. Yeah, his past wasn’t pretty, and yeah, there’s a reason why the pack had sent him to hell. But the Theo that came back from hell was not the same one that went in, and Liam knows what the chimera goes through every night. He knows about the nightmares and Theo’s racing heart and the desperate _Tara, please_ and the resigned _It’s okay, it’s yours anyway, Tara_ and how Theo seemed to have permanent dark circles under his eyes and how Theo would drink two cups of coffee every night after he thought everyone went to sleep. Liam knows, and he wants to tell Theo, but the look on his face stops him, and he sighs.

“Okay.” Liam’s face lit up again. “But dude, we should do something. Like something _big_. The whole pack is back, we should prank _everyone_.”

Theo rolled his eyes. “Liam, you have a chemistry test tomorrow. A class which, if you forgot, you are currently on the verge of _failing_. So no, you are not spending the night coming up with a plan to prank everyone. You,” Theo raised his voice when Liam tried to interrupt him, “ _You_ are going home and studying, because if you fail another test, your parents will ground you till college.”

Liam closed his mouth and sulked. Theo was right, but he didn’t have to like it.

“Aww, is Theo acting like your mom again?” a new voice teased, and both boys’ heads snapped up to see Mason, Corey, Nolan, Alec, Brett, and Lori walking up to them.

Theo rolled his eyes at Brett’s question. Liam had miraculously ended up saving Brett’s life during the war with the hunters, and ever since, him and his sister had moved into one of the empty apartments in the building Derek owned so that they could go to school with the rest of the pack. However, the tall werewolf’s near-death experience didn’t seem to damage his _charming_ personality.

“Shut up, asshole,” Liam muttered while climbing into Theo’s truck, “Let’s just go.”

The ride to Liam’s house consisted entirely of Liam trying to convince Theo of his plan for April Fools’.

_(“Theo, chemistry is useless anyway, this will be so much more fu-”_

_“Liam, shut up, we’re not doing it.”_

_“But just think about it, it’ll be just us, it would be the best night ever an-_

_“Liam. No.”_

_“You guys do know what this conversation sounds like, right?”_

_“Shut up, Brett!” )_

Theo dropped Liam off first so that he could study without distractions. As he watched the werewolf drag his feet into the house, a smirk slowly made its way onto his face and he grabbed his phone.

“Scott?” the chimera asked while driving to the alpha’s house with the rest of the Puppy Pack, “I need your help.”


	2. Chapter 2

Liam was bored. And exhausted. And seriously considering murdering Theo.

The werewolf was currently sitting in his last period class, waiting for the teacher to pass out the chemistry test that he spent all night studying for. Instead of planning pranks on the pack like he wanted to. _Fuck you, Theo_. 

Fifty minutes later, Liam, for the first time ever, didn’t feel like he failed a chemistry test. _Huh, I guess that studying isn’t completely useless._

The rest of the pack (at least, the ones that were still in high school) were all ditching him to go on a date after school. Yeah, _all_ of them. He wasn’t sure exactly how and when Brett and Nolan, and Alec and Lori happened, but he didn’t really want to find out. 

( _We would invite you and Theo, but even with the unbearable sexual tension you have, you’re not exactly dating._

_Shut up, Mason. Have fun on your stupid triple date.)_

So Liam was stuck with just Theo today. Who hadn’t shown up yet. Which was weird, because the chimera was _always_ early. 

After waiting five minutes (because honestly, did you think Liam was patient), the werewolf called Theo, but he didn’t pick up. So he called again. And again. And again. And ag- you get the point. 

Fifteen minutes, about twenty calls, and ninety texts later, Theo still hadn’t showed up. And Liam was _pissed_. 

So he called his mom and asked her to pick him up because _Theo’s a dick who couldn’t be bothered to pick me up so can you come_ and his mom didn’t understand why Liam was so upset _Liam, honey, he picks you up every day, I’m sure he has a reason if he’s not here_ and Liam was too tired to argue anymore so _Mom, can we just go home_ and that was the end of that conversation. 

Three hours later, Liam was sitting on his bed, working on a history assignment and listening to One Direction because hey, Theo’s not here, when it hits him. 

_Theo’s not here_. 

The sun had set, and Theo’s car still hadn’t pulled up into the driveway, and now Liam was worried. _Was there an attack? Are there more hunters that we didn’t know about? What if there’s a new Monroe? What if Theo was in his truck and someone attacked him? What if Theo’s dea-_

_No._ Liam forced his thoughts out of the rabbit hole they were sinking into. His claws had sunk into his sheets as a result of his automatic shift and he took a deep breath to calm himself down enough to shift back. But every time he tried to close his eyes and focus on steadying his heartbeat, he saw Theo in his truck, blood everywhere, and _oh god, what if he’s actually dead,_ and his claws wouldn’t go away, so he hopped out of bed and ran into Theo’s room. 

Liam stumbled into the room, unconsciously searching for Theo’s scent, an anchor that could ground him, and pull him away from his thoughts. His eyes zeroed in on one of Theo’s shirts, that blue one that he always wears and it’s just a regular shirt but he somehow manages to look _sinful_ in it, and Liam grabbed it and pushed his face into it (He tried not to think too much about the implications of why he likes Theo in the shirt). 

Taking deep breaths, Liam finally manages to shift back, his claws retracting, and his eyes changing back to blue. And then he opened his eyes. 

_What the fuck._

Theo, the supposed “big, bad chimera,” was a neat freak. And Liam knew that because he was looking for one of Theo’s hoodies one day (Theo’s his anchor and his scent calms him down, he tells himself, there’s _no other reason_ ) and had thrown a bunch of Theo’s clothes onto the older boy’s bed in his search. 

When Theo came back, saying he was pissed was an understatement. And Liam learned not to mess with the chimera’s things. 

There might have been a broken nose involved (or two). 

(Theo hadn’t said anything about Liam stealing his hoodies though, to his surprise. He told Mason about it the next day, and the human had just stared at him blankly _Liam, you’re an idiot_ ).

So Liam wasn’t just worried. He was _scared_. Because Theo’s room was a _mess_. Clothes were spread everywhere, the books that were stacked on top of the desk in the corner were knocked over, and the bedsheets were, well, they weren’t even on the bed. 

Liam ripped his phone out of his pocket, hoping that there would be _something_ from Theo, but nope, he hadn’t even read the hundred or so texts that Liam had sent him since afternoon. And _fuck_ , Liam was scared. So he did what he always does, and called Mason. 

“Mason, thank god,” he breathes out when his best friend picks up, “Theo’s gone.”

“Gone? What do you mean gone? Like went to the Sinema to get wasted gone or packed his things and is halfway across the country gone?”

“ _No_. Gone like his room’s completely trashed and his truck’s not here and hasn’t called or texted in six hours gone. Someone _took_ him gone.”

“Oh. Oh shit.” _For fuck’s sake._

“ _Mason_. You’re not _helping_.”

“Look, Liam, maybe he just went out and he was like, I don’t know, looking for something in his room in a rush and messed it up, but he’s on his way back. You don’t know that someone took him, okay? So just, _breathe_. Breathe and calm down,” Mason blurts out, clearly trying to keep Liam from shifting and destroying the room even further. 

“No, Theo wouldn’t do that, he- " Liam broke off, unsure of what to say next, “He just _wouldn’t_.”

“ _Liam_ , listen to me. Just wait a couple of hours, okay? And if he’s not back by then, we’ll go look for him. _All of us_ ,” Mason emphasized the last three words, hoping Liam would understand the clear order not to go out by himself.

“Okay.” Liam took a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll wait for an hour, and _that’s it_. If he’s not back, I’m gonna go look for him, with or without you.”

“Okay, good. Just don’t do anything stu-”

Liam hung up. 

Thirty minutes later, he was pacing in his room, his hands constantly running through his hair, and freaking out. His phone buzzed across the room on his desk, and Liam _ran_.

It was a text, but not from Theo. _An unknown number_.

He opened the message and found a video.

Liam froze. 

_No._

He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, cause _maybe it’s just a nightmare_ , but no, the screen hadn’t changed.

Theo gagged and tied to a fence.

Liam played the video. 

A figure in black moved onto the screen holding a taser. No, not a taser. Something much bigger than a taser. 

And Liam could do nothing but watch as the figure made its way to the tied-up chimera, until the weapon was pressed against his body, _right on top of his heart_.

Liam choked. The figure turned to the camera, and its face was covered, but the werewolf could _sense_ the grin and its hand pressed down on a button. 

Liam’s blood chilled. And Theo, _oh god,_ Theo screamed. 


	3. Chapter 3

As soon as the video was over, another text appeared. 

_If you want to save your little chimera, come to the warehouse at the edge of town._

Confusion clouded Liam’s thoughts, but then a second text with the address came. And then another one.

_Tell a single person about this, and your friend will be dead before you can blink. Not. A. Word._

And Liam, who was about to call his best friend, froze. _Well, there goes that plan. Sorry, Mason_.

The werewolf has never been good at controlling his emotions, especially his anger, and this sent him to the fucking _edge_ , and so he jumped down the stairs, told his mom he was going to Mason’s, and _ran_. 

The adrenaline of watching Theo screaming fired up every inch of Liam, and ten minutes later, he was in front of the warehouse and about to burst through the door. 

But then he caught Theo’s scent.

And Liam stopped. Because he couldn’t fuck this up. Theo was _actually_ in there, and one wrong move, and Theo would be _dead_. 

He took a few breaths, inhaling the familiar scent, and tried to come up with a plan. Only Liam wasn’t good at making plans, because at all the pack meetings, it was _Theo_ making the plans, because he was _smart_ and he knew how to do this shit. And Liam didn’t, but, his anger flared again, he _would_ because _Theo’s in there_. 

Liam slowly made his way into the building, trying to make as least noise as possible, his eyes searching for any sign of a tied-up chimera. 

_Holy shit._

Because Liam found Theo, and his head was tilted down, chin on his chest, as if he couldn’t bear the weight of his own head anymore. Liam quickly looked around if there was anyone around, and after finding nothing, he sprinted to Theo. 

“Theo,” he yelped as he made his way across the dark room. But the chimera’s head stayed down and _Theo, please, don’t be dead._

He reached him, grabbed the older boy’s head in his hands, and lifted it up. _Fuck_. Theo’s eyes were closed, and there was dried blood on his chin, from the corner of his mouth. The dark circles under his eyes seemed _darker_ and Liam couldn’t take it.

“ _Theo,_ ” his voice trembled, “Theo, _wake up_.” 

Liam was too worked up to think straight, but he forced himself to search for Theo’s heartbeat, and _thank god_ , it was there. _It was there_. 

The werewolf shifted his attention to the chimera’s hands tied up above him, and he used all his strength to try and break them free, but they _wouldn’t_ move. 

Theo groaned. 

Liam’s hands grabbed the older boy’s face again. “Theo. Theo, come on, open your eyes.”

Slowly, Theo’s eyes peeled open, and Liam could _breathe_ again. He wrapped his arms around the chimera, burying his face into his neck, inhaling Theo’s scent. He heard Theo take a shaky breath, and quickly unwrapped himself, worried he hurt him. 

“Liam, what-” the older boy’s voice was so _weak_ , “what are you doing here?”

And Liam’s anger, momentarily pushed aside when Theo woke up, _flared_. 

“How could you be so _stupid_? How did you even get caught? Is it hunters again? God, you’re so _stupid._ ” And Theo chuckled _,_ out of everything he could’ve done in this situation, he _chuckled_. 

“Glad to know your ability to criticize me is still intact,” Theo joked. 

“Oh, shut up, you _asshole_. Who brought you here?”

Theo- who was still tied up, but even _Liam_ with his absurd werewolf strength couldn’t break him free, so he was stuck there at the moment- leaned his head back against the fence. 

“I don’t know.” Theo spotted Liam’s incredulous expression. “I _don’t_. The masks they were wearing kind of covered everything. I couldn’t see even a _part_ of their faces.” 

“What did they want?” Liam had been high on adrenaline and anger up until this point, and though they haven't completely disappeared, he was in control enough to wonder why Theo even got captured, because last he heard, there wasn’t anyone who was trying to kill the supernaturals of Beacon Hills. 

“They didn’t tell me anything. They just tied me up and ran the electricity and- “ Theo broke off, looking down and Liam was confused until he realized the chimera was looking at his _heart_ , “They knew everything. About Tara and the Dread Doctors and everything I did and they asked me how I could live with myself knowing what I did. How I could pretend I’m _normal_ , when a year ago, I had killed innocent lives and was in _hell_.”

Theo raised his head and looked into Liam’s eyes. “And the worst part is that they’re _right_. I’m not normal, I can’t pretend I’m innocent, and I _don’t_ deserve this, I don’t deserve the pack, I don’t deserve your parents, and I sure as hell don’t deserve yo-”

Liam surged forward. Theo’s words got cut off as Liam’s lips pressed onto his, hands cradling his face. It wasn’t soft, it was _urgent_ , it was _demanding_ , it was Liam saying _you deserve this, you deserve_ me.

Liam pulled back, still holding Theo’s face, their breath mingling together. “I know you don’t talk about your nightmares, but I _know._ You’re not that person anymore, okay? You’re better, and you _deserve_ to know that.” 

And then Liam kissed Theo again. But this time, it was _gentle,_ and Liam’s heart was racing, and he had to hold back a moan, because they were still in the warehouse.

Liam froze. _They were still in the warehouse._ Theo opened his eyes and looked down at Liam, cocking his head in confusion. 

“We’ve been here for ten minutes, and no one’s showed up yet. _Why_ did no one show up yet?”

“You couldn’t have waited for _five_ more minutes, could you, Liam? Just five more minutes and I would’ve been twenty bucks richer.”

Liam’s head snapped up so fast, he heard his neck cracking.

From the far side of the room, Stiles was making his way to them, followed by Scott, Malia, Lydia, and Derek, and _Mason_. More shadows emerged, and wait, that’s _Brett_ , _Corey, Nolan, Alec, and Lori_. 

Liam was _confused_. 

He looked back at Theo, who now had a slight smirk on his face, eyes shining with amusement.

And Liam was even _more_ confused.

The entire pack had reached the two boys, and they were all _amused_. Stiles had an annoyed look on his face, but his eyes betrayed his joy. Scott had a wide smile, his arm around Malia’s shoulders, whose mouth was quirked in the corner, as if she was trying not to smile. Lydia, like Scott, had a smile on her face, and _Derek_ , who Liam had never seen without a scowl, was _smirking_. 

Liam’s eyes shifted to the Puppy Pack. Mason and Corey were holding hands (honestly, when were they _not_ ) and were smiling so much, it kind of looked hysterical. Brett had a huge smirk on his face, like he was planning how to provoke Liam (he was), and Nolan had a soft smile. Even Alec and Lori were both grinning, their hands brushing as they stood next to each other.

“What the hell?” And Theo lost it. He _giggled_. 

Scott made his way over to Theo and let him out of the bonds holding his arms up, and Theo _collapsed_ on Liam, still laughing, and Liam moved quickly to make sure they didn’t fall. 

if there was one thing Liam _hated,_ it was being left out. And if there was something that Liam hated even _more_ , it was being laughed at. So naturally, his anger swelled. 

“ _Theo_ , if you don’t explain what the _fuck_ is going on, I swear, I will punch you.” Theo seemed to get control of his laughter, and _finally_ , talked.

“April Fools’,” Theo quipped, still chuckling. 

Liam’s eyes snapped to Theo’s. “This was all a _prank_?”

Theo nodded, the corners of his mouth lifting in a soft smile. 

Liam turned and stared at the pack. “And all of you were _in_ on it?”

“Sorry, Liam,” Scott started, still amused but with guilt evident on his face, “But Theo called us as soon as he knew we were all back for spring break, and said he needed our help. I thought it was a supernatural thing, but he said he wanted to prank you and-”

“And it was _awesome_ ,” Stiles cut in, “Theo, buddy, we are _definitely_ teaming up for April Fools’ next year.”

Liam was conflicted. He looked back at Theo, at the blood on his face. “Is that blood real?”

Theo laughed again. “No, it’s from Party Ci-”

Liam punched him in the nose. 

“Liam!” Mason exclaimed, as Theo groaned as he dropped onto his knees and held his nose. 

“Okay, I deserved that,” Theo looked up at Liam, “Forgive me?”

“You deserve a lot more than that,” Liam snapped at him, crossing his arms over his chest. “I thought you were _dead_.”

Theo sobered up, the smile dropping off his face. “Liam,” he said while standing up so he could hold Liam’s face, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you think that I was dead, just that I was passed out. I’m _sorry_.” Theo wrapped his arms around the younger boy, squeezing tight. Liam moved his arms from his side and placed them around Theo’s waist, squeezing back. 

“Pack hug!” Alec whooped, and soon, the two boys were surrounded on all sides with people. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it felt like Liam got over the whole thing way too quickly, don't worry, it'll be addressed in the next chapter. I just didn't think Liam would talk about it with Theo with the whole pack there, high on their successful prank.


	4. Chapter 4

“You said you didn’t know what April Fools’ was.” 

Liam was in the McCall living room, sitting on the couch next to Theo as the rest of the pack was spread across the various furniture and the floor. After the big reveal at the warehouse, Scott decided that an impromptu sleepover was necessary, and forced the entire pack to meet at his house (Not that anyone was complaining, pack sleepovers always got wild).

Theo turned his head towards Liam and rolled his eyes. “I lied. I might not have had a normal childhood, but I’m not _stupid_. I had to fit in at high school, I _had_ to learn about these things. And plus,” Theo glanced over at Stiles and Scott, who were already grinning as if they knew what he was going to say, “Before I was with the Dread Doctors, Scott, Stiles, and I would pull pranks on Stiles’ dad at the station every April Fools’.”

“I don’t think he ever got over that exploding glitter bomb prank,” Stiles snickered, “I got in _so_ much trouble for that.” 

Liam shoved Theo’s shoulder, annoyed that one, Theo lied, and two, he _fell_ for it. “How did you pull all this off anyway?” Liam froze, remembering something. “Wait, did you turn down my prank plan because of _this_?”

Theo smirked. “ _No_ , I turned down your plan because you had a chemistry test. And good thing I did, cause you actually studied and did well, _for once_.”

Liam elbowed Theo in the ribs. “How did you know about that? I never told you that.”

“Yeah, you did,” Theo snickered, “It was one of the hundred texts I got from you when I didn’t come to pick you up from school.”

Liam blushed. “ _Hey_ , in my defense, you’re always early, you _never_ show up late.” 

Mason snorted. “You should’ve heard him when he called me after finding your room all messy. I thought he was going to have a heart attack. _Mason, Theo’s gone. Mason, his room is destroyed. Mason, he hasn’t called or texted me. Mason, he wouldn’t do this._ ” 

The pack exploded in laughter as Liam’s face grew even more red. “Oh, _shut up_ , like you wouldn’t do the same if it was Corey.”

“Corey,” Mason retorted, “wouldn’t do this.”

Liam glared at Theo. “Yeah, he wouldn’t. Why am I the one stuck with the asshole chimera while you get the nice one?”

“Because you have a _type_ ,” Brett taunted, “Chimeras who are prone to punching you in the face. You’re not stuck with the asshole, you _chose_ him.”

Liam gave Brett a dirty look as the rest of the pack laughed again. 

“He makes a fair point, Liam,” Stiles chimed in, “If you think about it, Hayden and Theo are pretty similar.” Stiles suddenly got serious. “But if you show as much PDA with Theo as you did with Hayden, I’m gonna kick you out of the pack.”

Theo snorted. “I don’t think anyone can beat _that_ level of PDA. They were full on making out in front of me when I was _chained_ to them.” The rest of the pack snickered as they all remembered the overbearing amount of kissing they were subjected to during Liam and Hayden’s relationship.

Liam blushed again and turned to Stiles. “ _One_ , you can’t kick me out of the pack, I’m Scott’s beta, _two_ , you’re not gonna be here, so how would you even know, and _three_ , the only people who _are_ gonna be here are all couples who show an excessive amount of PDA, so you can’t even recruit them to snitch on us,” he said, pointing at the three couples of the Puppy Pack, who were all tangled up with their significant other.

Stiles groaned and threw his head back onto Derek’s lap. “Why do all you puppies have to be so _in love_?”

“Like you’re not?” Theo rebutted, gesturing at Derek, who was currently running a hand through Stiles’ hair. 

Theo yelped as a pillow came flying and hit his face (because Stiles and Derek weren’t dating).

(Yet).

__________________________________

A couple of hours later- after all the pizza Scott had ordered was gone, and the pack was worn out from watching the insufferable sexual tension between Stiles and Derek- they had all settled in the living room on the numerous makeshift beds lying on the floor (even though there were perfectly functional beds upstairs, but Scott refused to let anyone leave the room).

Slowly, everyone began to fall asleep, most of them cuddling (and if Derek’s arm somehow ended up around Stiles, no one said anything).

Liam was lying on top of Theo, who was on his back, with his head resting on the older boy’s chest. And listening to the steady beat of the chimera’s heart, he slowly drifted to a dreamless sleep. 

Until he woke up to Theo’s racing heart. 

  
The younger boy lifted his head to look at Theo, who was taking short breaths with wide eyes. Liam dragged his arm from the chimera’s waist, and placed it on top of Theo’s heart. He lazily drew shapes, hoping the touch would calm him down. 

Once Theo’s breath and heartbeat steadied, Liam finally spoke.

“Everything you said in the warehouse,” he began, keeping his voice down to not wake up the pack, “I know you still believe it.” He looked up into Theo’s eyes, resting his chin on his chest. 

“Liam,” the chimera whispered, his voice rough from sleep, “I can’t forgive myself for what I did. And I know the pack moved on, but I _can’t_. Every time I close my eyes, I still see Josh and Tracy and Tara, and I can’t help but think that if I never listened to the Dread Doctors all those years ago, they would all be _alive_.”

“But _you_ wouldn’t.”

“Well-” Theo broke off, looking away from Liam’s gaze, “Maybe that would’ve been better.”

Liam’s anger surged. “Look-” he grabbed Theo’s face and forced him to look at him, “ _Look at me_. Theo, you’re _wrong_. A few hours ago, I thought you were dead. I thought you were _dead_. And I was a _mess_ , because I didn’t want to believe it.”

Theo’s jaw clenched. “But if I never believed the Dread Doctors, Tara would be _here_ , and she had her whole life ahead of her, and _I_ took that away from her. I don’t know how you guys can _forget_ that, because I _can’t_.”

“Theo, listen to me. We didn’t forget, okay? But you were _nine years old_. You were manipulated into believing them, and we also didn’t forget _that_. Look around you,” Liam gestured at the pack, peacefully asleep, “Do you think that they would fall asleep like this if they still believed you were that person?”

Theo’s eyes flickered around the room, stopping on Scott, whose eyes weren’t closed like the rest of them. 

“He’s right, Theo,” the alpha spoke softly, “We know who you were. But you’re not that Theo anymore, and it _shows_. The old Theo wouldn’t be at a pack sleepover after spending the entire day coming up with a plan to prank Liam.” 

Theo’s mouth quirked up. 

“The old Theo also wouldn’t be hopelessly in love with Liam,” Mason- who apparently had woken up because of the noise- added quietly, but Liam could see the smirk on his face. 

Theo blushed and threw his head back onto the pillow. Liam giggled quietly and rested his head on the older boy’s chest again.

“The new Theo should _shut the fuck up_ and go to sleep because it’s three in the morning and we have to get up early to go on that pack road trip Scott planned,” Stiles grumbled, his voice thick with sleep. 

The awakened pack members all chuckled, and settled back into their mattresses. Liam intertwined his hand with Theo’s, placed them on top of the older boy’s heart, and closed his eyes to get at least a few hours of sleep before he would be forced awake by Scott. 

And Theo? He squeezed Liam’s hand, closed his eyes, used the steady heartbeat of his anchor as a lullaby, and drifted off to a sleep that was- for the first time in months- peaceful. 

Until he woke up to Liam’s hand making its way up his shirt.

But that’s a story for next time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end! I hope you enjoyed this story, I had so much fun writing it, and hopefully, I'll be able to get the next part up soon!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who read this absurd story!


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